Climate change victim: Went abroad to make fortune, ended up poorer

A significant number of people from Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira are being forced to leave their homes near the Sundarbans due to river erosion, cyclones, and tidal surges every year. Some of them shift to other parts of the country, while others sell their land and property and take loans to search for their fortune abroad.

However, many fall victim to fraud and forced labour, and find no way but returning home in an even more destitute state.

One such individual is Abdullah Rubel of Padmapukur union in Shyamnagar. He used to make ends meet for his family from a shrimp enclosure. Repeated natural disasters devastated his business and prompted him to find fortune abroad. In 2019, he mortgaged the farm and took out a loan to travel to Brunei.

He faced an even worse situation in Brunei as he failed to secure any job there. With no option in hand, he took a job in a Bangladeshi household in exchange for food and shelter, with no wages. After surviving there for nine months, he borrowed money, bought a ticket, and returned home, along with the burden of debt and uncertainty.

While talking to Prothom Alo, he shared that he lost everything after going abroad at a cost of Tk 500,000. Failing to repay the mortgage money and reclaim his lone earning source, the shrimp enclosure, he now does seasonal jobs to earn bread and butter for his family.

According to individuals concerned, climate change victims from not only Satkhira but also some other districts are leaving their homes in search of financial stability.

A recent study – titled “Exposed and exploited: Climate change, migration, and modern slavery in Bangladesh” – also underscored the growing trend of forced migration due to environmental disasters.

The study, conducted by Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), surveyed 648 families across 33 villages in climate-affected regions of Mathbaria in Pirojpur and Gowainghat in Sylhet. It found that 70.06 per cent of families have at least one member who migrated.

The study revealed that migrants often feel helpless and are forced to join any jobs due to the pressure to repay their loans. Some others accept ‘inhumane’ workloads out of their desire to make a fortune for their family. Eventually, they fall prey to modern slavery.

The research found different aspects of modern slavery in the examined cases, including low to no wage, mental and physical abuse, and movement restrictions. A staggering 99 per cent of workers experienced at least one form of slavery, while 81 per cent went through five or more indicators of modern slavery.

Migrants from Mathbaria in Pirojpur spent an average of Tk 461,220 to go abroad. Among them, 25 per cent sold their land, while 18 per cent took high-interest loans.

According to the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, the number of Bangladeshi workers going abroad has increased significantly since 2022, as more than 100,000 workers left the country each month for two consecutive years. The number declined slightly last year, around 80,000 workers still migrated monthly.

However, many of them return after being cheated or failing to secure jobs abroad.

There is no official data on returnee migrants, except for those irregular migrants who are detained abroad and returned home with an outpass or temporary travel permit. In the previous year, over 80,000 such workers returned home from abroad.

In 2018, Hasan Gazi, a resident of Shyamnagar, took a loan of Tk 550,000 from his relatives to migrate to Kuwait via India. While he was abroad, his village home was washed away in floods.

After working in Kuwait for four years, he was detained by the police and deported. In conversation with Prothom Alo, he said his family fell under financial pressure due to damages to the home in repeated floods and cyclones. Migrating abroad brought no benefit to them. Now, he drives an auto-rickshaw in Keraniganj and lives in a garage.

The BRAC migration programme, which supports returning migrant workers, said some 250 to 300 migrant workers return empty-handed every day. Many arrive in poor condition, without money, and even struggle to reach their villages. The organisation provides them with Tk 1,000 as travel expenses.

There are various government and private initiatives to send workers abroad, but nothing for the returnees. Some projects were undertaken after the Covid-19 pandemic, but those yielded no significant results. Also, there are no separate programmes for climate refugees who fall prey to fraudulent migration schemes.

OKUP chairperson Shakirul Islam noted that many people are being forced to migrate due to climate change, only to be deceived and return home even poorer.

“The developed countries must take their responsibilities, as the liabilities of climate change-induced disasters lie with them, not Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government should also take initiatives,” he added.